


Sempiternal

by Elysifer



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi is head over heels for her daughter, Family Fluff, Female Akechi Goro, Gen, Genderbending, Single Parents, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, happy goro zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22053469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysifer/pseuds/Elysifer
Summary: Gou thinks she's a Claude Monet painting, a beautiful moment in time bathed in the softness of nature and the vibrancy of colours. She shines like a shooting star and burns like a phoenix in the darkest of nights and it's no wonder why Gou is completely enraptured by her very existence.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Original Character(s), Akechi Goro & Original Female Character(s), Akechi Goro & her daughter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Sempiternal

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Happy Goro zine. I'm very pleased with how my piece came out; it's very short & sweet. If anyone is familiar with my other works then you know... I love fem!Akechi with my whole heart so it's of no surprise that I wrote fem!Akechi here.
> 
> This AU is set around 6 years after canon and now Akechi is trying to live her best life with her daughter. I never mentioned who her daughter's father is because although I love shuake, I wanted it to be left up for interpretation.

It's in the way the sunlight softly peeks through Gou's curtains, how it splays over her bedroom walls and makes her daughter's hair shine. She feels it in the warm breath that puffs into the base of her neck and sees it in the pillow indents on chubby cheeks; she smells it on sleep-soft skin and tastes it in last night's homemade cookies that still linger in her mouth. It comes up unexpectedly in the sound of her daughter's voice early in the morning and in Gou's lips as they brush kisses over small hands. It's strange and wonderful and utterly terrifying all at once, to know that without a doubt, this warmth in her body is happiness. 

Gou's never felt like this before but the singing in her bones tells her something different. It _knows_ this little person wrapped up in her arms, all delicate and perfect. It recognizes the light in her eyes and the brown of her hair; she's seen it over a million times in her own reflection- her mother's reflection. She's never considered herself a selfless person, never thought she was capable of caring for another human being let alone herself, but as soon as she first held her daughter in her arms something snapped into place in her heart. Instinctively, Gou knew she had the ability to nurture and love inside her already; it was second nature to provide for this life she created.

Gou looks down at her now, fingertips gently tracing the roundness of her daughter's rosy cheeks and she wonders just how she did it. It seems impossible but the proof is right here, cuddled in a warm bed and donning a Princess Anna nightie. She's Gou's happiness in its most physical form.

"I love you," Gou whispers into her daughter's baby-soft hair, heart pounding to a tune of _Mei, Mei, Mei_. She slowly pulls the blankets over both of their heads and hides them from the rest of the world. A breeze rolls in through her open window and she tugs her daughter closer.

-

"Woah! There's so much flowers!" Mei says, cheeks as pink as the moss she's pointing to. "Mommy, look!"

"I'm coming," Gou replies automatically, already following her little firecracker through crowds of festival goers. The words seem to slip right off the tip of her tongue and she knows it's because she's been repeating them for the past few years. Always _'I'm coming, I'm coming'_ like Mei needs to know her mother will be right there with her, just a step behind. Gou has no problem with reassuring her, especially when she looks at her with those bright, sparkling eyes.

When she reaches Mei, Gou finds her standing on her tippy toes and trying to keep her balance as she leans over one section of baby pink moss, almost lilac in colour. Her eyes are wide as she takes in each and every flower and it makes Gou smile a little to herself. Mei has always been fond of beautiful things, hence why Gou decided to spend her day off by taking her to Fuji Shibazakura Festival, a 'pink dream world' as they call it. She knows Mei has been wanting to go to this festival in particular for a while now so Gou had saved up and planned a day trip to Yamanashi Prefecture. Judging by Mei's reaction, Gou thinks all the planning had been worth it.

Mei laughs brightly when the mid-May winds come ruffling up her dress and messing up her hair, throwing her sunhat into the air and leaving her hopping around sandal covered feet trying to catch it. Her fingertips graze the straw of her hat each time but she's too short to reach and it leaves her huffing. Finally, it floats slowly to the ground and Mei snatches it up, roughly sticking it on her head before running off to look at more flowers.

Gou thinks she's a _Claude Monet_ painting, a beautiful moment in time bathed in the softness of nature and the vibrancy of colours. She shines like a shooting star and burns like a phoenix in the darkest of nights and it's no wonder why Gou is completely enraptured by her very existence. 

Her hands reach to fish her phone from her purse and within seconds she's got about fifteen pictures of Mei just bouncing around. She puts all of them into an album titled _Mei ♡_ and grins like a lovestruck fool when she sees that her daughter has noticed the camera on her. Like the photogenic thing she is, Mei doesn't miss a beat and begins to strike different poses; leg balancing in the air with pretty flush to her cheeks and her hair blowing wildly around her. _Wow_ , she really is Gou's daughter, huh.

"Come here, honey," Gou says, feeling all sorts of happy surrounded by the fresh air and her beaming daughter. She bends down as far as she can in her summer dress and hoists Mei up into her arms when she comes barreling towards her. Gou settles her down on her hip and switches her phone into selfie mode, holding it up in front of her so that the both of them are in the shot. Mei squishes her rosy cheek right against Gou's, the flap of her hat getting caught in between their faces before Gou reaches up and fixes it while laughing. She receives a pout in response but Mei still wraps her arms around Gou's neck and smiles when she aims the phone again. 

Making sure Mount Fuji is at least partially visible in the background, Gou snaps the picture. She quickly takes another one but this time she turns her head to plant a lipstick kiss on Mei's chubby cheek, smiling into it so hard that it hurts. Mei giggles at her, rubbing at the mark on her skin but not too hard, like she doesn't want to wipe it off fully. It makes Gou's heart soar and not for the first time, she feels truly grateful to have a daughter that accepts affection so wholeheartedly. It makes her feel like she did something right, like she broke what could've been a cycle of sorrow and pain and replaced it with love and kindness. Even when Gou has doubts about her success, all she has to do is look into Mei's warm brown eyes and the thudding in her heart quietens.

Sooner or later, though, Gou's Sun and Stars decides she's done with being a model and wiggles down and out of her grasp like a snake. Gou has no idea where she got it from but she can't help but find it adorable, even when it makes her skin chafe. Mei still reaches out to clutch tightly at Gou's hand, tugging her towards another section of fuchsia coloured moss. She rambles in that child-like way of hers, going on and on about all the facts she knows about _shibazakura_. Gou feels helplessly caught under that beaming smile and those wide eyes, only _ooo-ing_ and _aaa-ing_ when it's clear Mei wants a response; she's content to just listen to her talk.

Once Mei tires of chatting Gou's ear off, she's off like the wind again, white dress ruffling behind her. Gou tries to bite down a smile but her cheeks hurt from suppressing it. She's just so _happy_. She's sure that if she presses her hand to her chest right now, she would be able to feel her heart beat fast like a hummingbird.

With a deep breath and a stomach full of butterflies, Gou puts one foot in front of the other and trails after her daughter; her lighthouse.

-

Gou kneels before her open window, staring up at the twilight sky with sparkling stars looking down upon her. She's conflicted. She doesn't know how to start this, never considered speaking out loud to no one before. Even if it's to let her thoughts out, she's nervous.

She takes a breath and releases it slowly.

"Mom…" she begins, "I- God, I feel so awkward doing this but I just wanted to… talk. I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for trying your best for me even when it hurt. Thank you for being there for as long as you could, I _know_ how hard it is and I will never, ever take that for granted. Thank you for having me because it allowed me to have her."

Gou spares a glance at her bed and watches as Mei's chest slowly rises and falls, her arms spread widely over the pillows and her face partly covered by the blankets. It makes Gou's chest _ache_ with the love she has for her. She looks up at the stars again and hopes her mother can see how happy she is now.

"I couldn't be your hero but I'm sure as hell going to be hers." Gou's voice cracks in the middle but by God, is she smiling so wide that it hurts. "I love her mom. I love her so much. She's- she's so perfect. She's _beautiful_. Thank you… thank you for her."

Gou smiles and loves and loves and _loves-_

That night, a star shoots across the sky. Gou snuggles deeper into her bed, Mei wrapped up tightly in her arms. She knows without a doubt that this is where she's meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> ♡ honestly I might do a little more for this AU because it really does make my heart melt.


End file.
